Should the NHL change to Olympic size ice?

I realize the costs would be great to make the rinks larger, but with that aside, would the NHL benefit from playing on Olympic size rinks instead of what we have now? It would speed up the game, no question about it. Which players would benefit? Which players wouldn't be able to cut it?
Would this... show more I realize the costs would be great to make the rinks larger, but with that aside, would the NHL benefit from playing on Olympic size rinks instead of what we have now? It would speed up the game, no question about it. Which players would benefit? Which players wouldn't be able to cut it?
Would this eliminate the "North American" style of play?

it's nowhere near feasible. Rinks would have to eliminate some of their most profitable seats, and it would screw up the view for everybody- the sightlines in the arenas are made for the north American rinks. You would have to rebuild virtually every NHL Rink to do that....

And really? I think it would detract form the game. the north American style of play that the fans here love is physical, and the larger ice discourages that.

So no, the NHL should not change. there's just no upside.

To Coyotes fan: Some can be reconfigured. Vancover's rink was made to me adjustable so they could host the olympics. It's a moot point now because the IIHF has decided to use the 200x 85 size in 2010. But that kind of building is an exception- most buildings cannot be modified- structural elements - like the entire first level of seats and their taper up would have to be totally rebuilt, and some designs, like the old maple leaf gardens that could not be done without bringing the building down.

ironic because the "olympic size rink" next olympics will be the same size as the avg NHL ice surface.

I WISH they would change to olympic size rinks. it would increase the skill level in the nhl and rid the league of players that are only on teams for enforcing. increasing the skill level can only increase the numbers of goals (for you gary!) this will never happen though, the NHL is losing enough money every year, to require franchises/arenas to drastically increase the size of the ice surface will cost too much money.

to respond to the "if it aint broke, dont fix it" people - obviously you are new to the NHL because since the lockout, several new rules and standards have been introduced into the game in hopes to increase scoring, so obviously something WAS broken.

It simply isn't cost effective and there is room in the world of pro hockey to have a different game for different organizing bodies. The NHL has more severe problems - TV, attendance for some franchises - than the rink size.

Yes they should. The stadiums can be reconfigured. The owners just don't want to lose the income from the first few rows of seats they would lose, even though they would just jack up the ticket prices in the remaining seats. The game would improve by getting faster and allowing more players to showcase their skills. However, there would be less hits, which is a big drawing point for North American fans.

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NHL teams have proven that they can play the trap just as well on Olympic size rinks as they do on Canadian sized rinks (the first rinks in the US were Olympic sized)

I love watching Hockey on Olympic size rinks. The players can really exhibit their speed and skill, the passing is unbelieveable. I think that it would serve to further trim the numbers of enforcer types, who lack the skating ability necessary to compete. Players that can skate, and mix it up a bit like Avery, Tucker, Downey, and Domi (I know he's retired) would be at a premium.

No. If they change the size of any piece of playing equipment (ice, nets, etc...) it would negate any new records that come as a result because there would be no way to compare it to the old regulations.